i'm building my first forge and have a few questions. i'm using a standard 20# propane tank, i cut my openings front and back which are 8" x 3". i was wondering if i will be able to line the inside with kaowool thru these opening and be able to line it correctly, or do i need to cut a swinging front door to easly access the inside of the forge. also, i was wondering if anybody had any recommendations whether i should use one burner or two. i am only interested in forging, no welding ( i like my mig and tig welders) i am also open to any suggestions on what you see. thanks in advance.

Not that I have too much experience with gassers but the ones I have used have the ends open. It is much easier to set up your insulation and coat it and it is much more flexible in configuration for different jobs.

I would say that at least one end has to have a hinged door otherwise you will regret it later.

Trying to stuff large enough piece of wool thru a 8X3 hole would be hard enough.
Coating it would be worse. Hinged end or open end would be my choice. Most of the tank forges I have seen run 2 burners 3/4in. A single 1in may work. Add your location
one of us could be around the corner.
Ken

i live on the northwest side of chicago. i figured i should install a swinging front door, but didn't want to do the extra work. but i'm going install the swinging door. thanks for your help!!!! won't be another week or so before i get in the garage to work on it again, but i'll keep the progress updated. thanks again.

The hinged door is not needed. You can line the top with one section, and the bottom with another so the pieces fit. Just try to have the inner layer as continuous as possible. The wool folds and packs well. Coating will be ok as long as its not fastened down and you can flip the forge about to a comfortable position.

Phil

Phil, a tank like that is going to need a 2-3 foot strip of wool. Even if halved can you fold 1 1/2 foot of wool and cram it thru a 3X8 hole? then you have to do the ends, Put solid brick in the bottom, Then paint thru that 3X8 slot. Much easier to leave the end open or put in a door I think.
Ken

Forging is about changing the shape, and volume, of steel. That little door is going to set you to cussing the first time you put a bend or a split in anything. I would lop the whole end off, install some channel iron at the bottom entrance, and use boiler bricks , 2 upright, 1 horizontal, for the door. When pieces start getting big, slide the bricks out of the way, and keep working.

i got a little time last night and put a door on there and was going to build the burners, then my propane tank for the heat ran out and it was about 10 degrees in chicago ( felt more like 1 degree 'cause i was drinking beer) here's some pics. thanks

Junkdaddy, The hinged door looks nice. You will be happier with it in the long run.

Dragons Lair, I could easily fit 1 1/2 ft (18 inches) of 1 inch wool through a 3x8 slot. Fold in thirds and in it goes. Paper to make it slide easier through the opening. Unfold once inside.

Phil

I'm with Mike, what's gonna protect that opening from getting red hot and wasting away in short order? There should be no steel exposed to the fire.

i thought about the the seam in the kaowool exposing some of the forge body on the inside. i might try to instal the wool in one piece to better insulate it. we'll see. it's my first one so i'm sure i'm going run into design flaw. thanks again for the info.

urgh reading this reminds me that i need to relign my gas forge soon.

i built the buners and welded the burner tubes today

Looks like there is going to be PLENTY of heat in that little baby!

Good Morning All

JunkDaddy, my friend pointed out this thread (thanks MattO). I like the start, but it has been a month - when do we get an update? tks grant

MONDO Forge!

Great job of fabrication and the weld don't look too bad either.

The doors will come in handy, especially for maintenance - which you'll inevitably have to do.

A couple of suggestions. Coat the ceramic wool with a refractory/furnace cement - several layers to keep the fibers from becomming airborne (and ending up in your lungs) and then coat the refractory cement with ITC-100. The ITC-100 will reflect the heat back into the interior and increase the max temp possible and reduce the time it takes to get to temp - much more efficient. With a forge this large you'll need all the efficiency you can get.

Along those lines, add a cover for the rear slot. With your fabrication skills it should be easy. Stuffing a piece of ceramic wool in the slot and placing a steel cover over it will make a world of difference in how much heat you can retain - more efficiency.

Again - heck of a job, I can't wait to see it in operation!